In the movie "Guanyin Mountain", Fan Bingbing, Chen Bole and Feilong respectively play three college entrance examination dropouts. They rent a house from a retired female Peking Opera actress. From friction to exchange and mutual understanding, they ultimately find warmth. Director Li Yu positions this film as a modern person's odyssey: it showcases youth, for example, Xindong played by Fan Bingbing is a punk rock girl; and also the drifting of life, which is the part played by Zhang Aijia, she plays the over-the-hill Peking Opera actress Chang Yueqin. The film made its closing appearance at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival and received unanimous praise from judges, media, and audiences. It concluded magnificently with two major awards: Best Artistic Contribution Award and Best Actress.
The currently popular "Guanyin Mountain" has seen box office success amidst controversy, greatly boosting domestic box office sales in March. Young audiences generally believe that the depiction of rebellious youth in the first half of the film is too brutal. On microblogs and forums, opinions are mixed and continuous, as more ordinary viewers join the discussion on the film, leading to frequent positive and negative evaluations, sparking another wave of controversy surrounding "Guanyin Mountain."
Of course, there are also post-90s female audiences who say they were moved by (the growth and release expressed in this film)... A netizen named Sha Zong Hen Mang wrote: The movie dazzles for an hour and a half, then makes you reflect. My anticipation for "Guanyin Mountain" stems from seeing my former self. Too much rebellion, too many mistakes, how did I walk through all of it? Compared to the past, I'm just a little more carefree now. My mom is glad I didn't end up like Black Sesame Society girls, so now she fully supports whatever I do.
Swearing can be profane or cryptic. Renowned screenwriter Ning Caishen called it a hard-to-review movie: sometimes very watchable, sometimes very dull, sometimes youthful to the point of being sharp-edged, sometimes heavy enough to seem rejuvenated, like a train heading to the unknown, never knowing when it will stop or accelerate. Given how great Ma was inside, "Xifeng Lie" could be called a masterpiece. Director Gao Qunshu of "The Wind Chime" and "Tokyo Trial" wrote: This is definitely a high-quality movie. Unfortunately, the latter part is a bit long.
After the stunning surprise of "Red Beauty" and the noise of "Apple," Li Yu presents "Guanyin Mountain" to continue harvesting international film festival awards. When Chinese art films go abroad and participate in international film exhibitions, returning home they face issues of reputation and box office. The film itself also becomes a reference for observing the current psychology of Chinese cinephiles. The controversy sparked by "Guanyin Mountain" reflects exactly this issue.
The creators respond: Chinese films must progress continuously amid controversy.
Regardless of whether "Guanyin Mountain's" final box office will reach expectations, the overwhelming polarized reviews have already made this film the most controversial Chinese-language film in March. For this title, the creators of "Guanyin Mountain" are not adverse; they even quote a comment from a Weibo user in response: Controversial and topical movies are charming, Hollywood movies, even if ugly, are too far from the lives of Chinese audiences, only providing spectacle. Our own films are more intimate. Chinese films must progress continuously amid controversy!
High Praise: One of the top ten soul-cleansing films of the year
Everyone's life has experienced earthquakes, everyone's heart has gone through pain, everyone's heart has a "Guanyin Mountain." Youth is like traversing a long tunnel, always having a period of darkness, a period of sadness, and the sudden realization after losing something joyfully. "Guanyin Mountain" early on won the title of one of the top ten Chinese-language films of 2010 in the "Youth Film Handbook" edited by Cheng Qingsong, so he doesn't forget to highly praise "Guanyin Mountain" as a film that can cleanse the soul. And Huang Lu, known as the new queen of art films for her work in international films such as "Blind Mountain" and "Red Combine," commented on Weibo saying she really likes harsh youth films, and 'Zhang Shihao' from "Blue Gate" has returned.
Harsh Criticism: A story of eggheads gathered together
Using the feelings of one viewer to summarize these powerful positive reviews, there is father-daughter affection, father-son affection in this film, between Zhang Aijia and Fan Bingbing's characters, it's actually a mother-daughter affection, among the three young people, there is sibling affection, and also a hint of romance—-the entire film talks about these emotions, and many feelings are actually what we ourselves have experienced. For viewers who have gone through the troubles of growing up, "Guanyin Mountain" is a form of release and spiritual寄托寄托.
Photo from "Guanyin Mountain"